Lorenzo and Jacopo Salimbeni, The Annunciation to Zechariah and Zechariah Announces the Name, from The Life of John the Baptist

1416
Fresco
Oratorio of St. John the Baptist, Urbino, Italy

On the left the angel Gabriel announces to Zechariah in the Temple sanctuary that his aging wife will bear a son who will "go before" the Lord (Luke 1:1-21). Because he responds somewhat doubtfully he is struck dumb until the day of his son's birth. On the right, the boy having been born, Zechariah is writing down the name that the angel said he should give him, "John."

In Luke there are people waiting for John to finish his priestly duties and come out of the sanctuary; they are amazed at his long stay inside. But the amazement of the bystanders on the left in this image seem to be due to the brilliant light emanating from the angel.

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Photographed at the oratorio by Richard Stracke, shared under Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license.